Knock! Knock! Sleepy Head!

What is Knocker Up?

A knocker up was a profession started during the industrial revolution in Britain and Ireland during the late 1920’s.

The knocker upper would go to each worker’s door and window and bang with a large pole or stick called the ‘snuffer outer’. It had a wire or a knob at the other end that would help in reaching high windows to knock loudly. They would keep banging and would not leave until the person wakes up from sleep. The houses of people would have a slate outside their homes on which the wake up time would be written.

Who Woke Up the Knocker Up?

This job would be carried out by elderly people mostly or the young who were unfit to work in factories. Sometimes police constables would volunteer for this job to earn some extra bucks. Large factories and mills would employ their own knocker up’s to ensure their workers came to work on time.